We Can Fly Away
by Olivia Dunham
Summary: Dan/Charlotte. Little bits and pieces of what happens after the Island. AU.


_A/N: Okay, so this a little something I whipped up because I didn't have anything to do. I'm working on the first chapter of St. Claires right now too. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own them - if I did, Charlotte would be alive and she and Dan would have already kissed. So therefore I don't own it. Song lyrics belong to Emma Townshend and Leona Lewis._

**XX**

_I. i have always been certain things are not always what they seem_

She tries not to let herself believe it. She doesn't want to believe it, considering the last time she believed it, her heart got ripped apart. It's part of the reason why's she such a bitch now. But Charlotte Lewis knows, deep down inside, that she's in love with Daniel Faraday.

But she'll never admit it.

She's too afraid of having her heart broken again.

But he seems nice, and the type that would do anything for her. There aren't many guys like him, and she knows it. Maybe she could let herself love him, but she doubts she can. After all, she didn't build up her hard, outer shell just to have it go to pieces over some guy. But Daniel is so sweet, with his little equations and ramblings of things she tries to understand, but doesn't really. But at least she tries, unlike anyone else, and he seems to appriciate it.

But she'll still never admit it.

At least, not now.

_II. though the heavens stop turning i'll be holding on to our dream_

As they lay there, together in their tent, they talk about the future. The Freighter is just off shore, and soon, they'll be going home, carting a load of survivors with them. He wonders if they'll be together, and reaching over, she grabs his hand and confirms that they will. She's convinced him to come back to England with her, and maybe teach again, because its what she's going to do. Enough travelling – she's found what she's been looking for.

Somehow their talk goes to one of marriage, of children, and of little houses with white picket fences like the ones at the Barracks, just not the horride shade of yellow. Daniel likes the idea, and so does she.

They both fall asleep, dreaming of their future together and putting the Island behind them.

_III. we can fly away fly away no more doubt we'll have nothing left to say_

They're part of the last group taking the helicopter back to the Freighter. She looks out over the edge at the water, and Daniel can't help but compare he eyes to it – they're somewhere between the colour of the water, and the colour of the sky. His new favorite colour.

He glances around at the others in the chopper with them; Frank, Miles, Jack, Juliet, Bernard and Kate, all looking happy to finally be off the Island. He's only been there a few weeks and he wanted off of it more than anything. But in Charlotte's eyes, he can see she really doesn't want to leave. And somehow, he knows they'll be back. Everyone will be.

And he can't stand to think what will happen if they do return.

_IV. __fly away, fly away from the darkness to the sun let our spirits be as one_

They don't spend much time below the decks of the Freighter because its too crowded, especially with the number of people on the boat now. And they'd already spent enough time below on the way to the Island. So when Daniel finds Charlotte a few days later, he finds her standing at the railing, watching the horizon, which is now a faint pink, as the sun is beginning to rise. He steps up beside her, and she gives him a faint smile – he notices the part of the ocean she's face is the part they have just come from, in the direction of the Island.

She takes his hand and they watch the sunrise together, something they did quite a lot on the way to the Island. Its when they had started their card game. They don't play it anymore, but Daniel's starting to forget things again, so he thinks maybe they need to start it again. He's just worried he'll forget her, because if he forgets her, he forgets everything.

_V. __We can fly away over it all_

People are freaking out. They've just landed at the airport in Los Angeles, all of them and the survivors having been forced to fly to the location where the survivors would be getting their settlement. Daniel doesn't understand why he and Charlotte – who's barely awake as she walks beside him – and Frank and Miles need to be here, until he learns that the man who hired them wants to pay them now, instead of tracking them all down later. But Daniel knows there's probably some more important reason.

Its confirmed when a man in a suit appears to the four of them and ushers them away from the survivors, who are getting their pictures taken – the four of them have already gotten their pictures, with captions such as 'Saviors of the Oceanic Survivors' already written all over them. But another man in another suit, this one much older and greying, says that if they ever tell anyone about the Island, he'll kill them.

And Daniel knows he's serious.

So does Charlotte.

So promising not to say a word, they decide silently that it'll be their secret, because they want to live.

_VI. in our magical moment you reached out and touched the real me_

The first time they make love is in the hotel they're staying at in Los Angeles, because the first flight to new York doesn't leave until morning, and from there they'll take a plane to London. Afterwards, she's curled against him, head resting on his chest, sleeping, his arms wrapped around her.

Daniel won't let anything happen to her. He promised himself a long time ago. He had saved her once, saved her from dying by being displaced in time. But he knows that if she goes back again, he won't be able to save her, so he has to convince her that her life is here, with him now, and not back on the Island.

He vows never to let anything happen to her. He'd rather himself die than her.

_VII. now there's no storm before us as strong as the love we both feel_

When they get to London, they take a train to Oxford, back to where she has her apartment not far from the college. It's a bit dusty because she's been gone so long, but soon it's back to being good as new and smelling of peppermint. They both decide to get married – it's a small ceremony with family and a few friends – before both getting jobs once more at Oxford.

This time none of the staff make fun of Daniel. None of the students who have Charlotte as a teacher either, because they know if they insult Daniel, she'll fail them. The students who don't have her don't insult him either, because of warnings from other students that the redheaded Professor will track them down.

And Charlotte just smiles. She enjoys her new job even more now.

_VIII. i know we'll make it anywhere away from here_

The first time he knows something is wrong is when a student comes barrelling into his classroom saying that Charlotte had collapsed, bleeding from the nose, halfway through one of her lectures. He doesn't even bother excusing himself from the students staring at him now, but simply drops his chalk and runs to her classroom – which is a building from his and two floors up. By the time he gets there, two female students have got Charlotte sitting up in a chair with several tissues pressed ot her nose. He goes to her, and he instantly knows something horrible is wrong when she asks who he is. When he tells her, she waves it off with an apology, saying she must have hit her head on the floor, then begins denying suggestions to go to the hospital, saying she'll be fine.

But she won't.

_XI. even if you cannot hear my voice i'll be right beside you dear_

Its nearly a year later when it happens again. They have a daughter now, who looks just like Charlotte, but seems to be as smart as Daniel because she's already starting to try and talk. He finds Charlotte collapsed in the shower, the water turning red from where she's bleeding, much more than she was the last time. And this time, it takes her longer to wake up. Whens he does, her head hurts, and she's rambling about things that Daniel doesn't understand – but he hears something about the Island, and suddenly knows what needs to happen.

They need to go back.

Or else, she's going to die.

_X. and we'll run for our lives i can hardly speak i understand_

She sleeps the entire flight to Fiji. Daniel's stomach is doing flip-flops. He doesn't want to go back, but he has to. If he wants to stay with Charlotte, he has to. Their daughter left in the ever loving care of Penny and Desmond – they owe him one – he and Charlotte are flying to Fiji, where another Freighter is leaving, under the same employer as last time.

He doesn't find it a concidence that Frank is there, going to be piloting the helicopter. It's a relief to see a familiar face. Charlotte doesn't remember who Frank is, but knows he's a friend, so trusts him enough to tell her about why they're going back. And that this time, they're staying.

And he wants to stay with them.

_XI. to think i might not see those eyes makes it so hard not to cry_

He had failed.

He reaches up and closes her eyes, which have lost their spark. The spark that he had loved so much. He's holding her head in his lap, running the back of his fingers along her cheek, hot tears spilling from his eyes and onto the sand. Frank looks at him with pity, and Jack, who had returned with most of the other survivors as well, mentions something about burying her. Daniel knows they need to, but he wants to take her body back. He's not going to stay on this Island, where Charlotte has died. But he doesn't want to go back to Oxford and their home either – the only reason is because his daughter is somewhere there, waiting for him. But he knows he won't be able to look at her without thinking of Charlotte.

Later, they bury her in the graveyard. Daniel stays long after everyone has left, and gets back in the helicopter that takes him back to the Freighter and back to Fiji, where he goes back to London.

Alone.

_i'll sing it one last time for you then we really have to go_


End file.
